Welker was so durable- not many missed games due to injury. Amendola might be good when healthy, but has had trouble staying on the field. I am fearful of the amount of time Gronk, Hernandez and Amendola will spend injured.

Welker will perform very well with Manning- even if he is 'declining' it is not as if he's all of a sudden a terrible player- it just means that Denver will have to rely on him a little less than NE did. Sportscenter will be tough to watch because he'll have some big plays in Denver.

I think it was probably the right move to let him go if they were planning on using him less since he would have probably had a bad attitude about having a reduced role (see Sept 2012). If Amendola is healthy we'll be fine... if he goes down with an injury we'll regret Welker leaving.

Let's hope that with Amendola coming on board the rest of the $$$ from Brady's contract restructuring will be poured into the D... which has been the real reason we've not been able to win a couple more Super Bowls.

Yes the Patriots were so cheap and disrespectful of Welker that they paid him 9.515 million dollars last year under the franchise tag while they tried to negotiate in good faith on a long term contract extension which Wes And his agent chose not to accept. Sure Belichick tried to see what life after Wes would be like if they couldn't agree to a long term deal so he screwed around with Wes' role which probably tweaked Wes (guy always seemed a little insecure to me even though I think he's one of the toughest players in football). Belichick did it to protect the club just like he drafted Brace when they were in negotiations with Wilfork (who performed and got paid).

I personally think it was an ego thing for Wes to leave because he was sick of hearing how Brady made him and he wouldn't be 1/2 the WR he is if it wasn't for the great TB and BB. I think the media whipped it up and his agent stirred the pot and before you know it Wes goes and pulls a Ray Allen. I do think that BB did mess up by benching Wes in that game VS the Jets for the foot comments and maybe he just got sick of the Patriot way where you can't have any fun or personality and maybe BB will learn from this too and become a better coach. I think Wes will although I doubt he'll become a better football player as his best days are behind him although he will still be productive, especially in Denver.

Sorry to see him go, always liked him, but I believe that the offense hard to evolve to get back to winning superbowls and maybe Wes had to go to make that happen. Can't wait to see what this season brings.

The Patriots did not counter the Broncos' offer, according to two sources.

That actually makes sense. That is more like thier SOP.

If that's true TB should be pissed and it means they didn't want Wes there anymore at all. He could have gotten 2/12 a lot of places.

Then if that is the case he should fire his agent. It was evident the Pat's were ready to move on based on the fact he got to Tuesday without a deal. He ill be missed but they will find other ways to compensate for his production.

I hope TB is pissed. It is time he starts looking for the open reciever like he used to instead of the crutch that Welker developed into.

I am not sure this is how you want Brady to be pissed. this isn't the kind pissed that fuels the competitive fires FOR the team.

Proof is in the pudding. BAD....let me repeat...BAD deal. A slap in the face. The only good thing is that Manning has a high level receiver to aid the team. Boston's loss, Denver's gain. It'll come back to bite them in the a$$.

The decision by the Patriots to allow Wes Welker to depart in free agency is not just the talk of New England, but all the football world. Gathering perspectives on the situation from around the web.

1. Walker: Swap is a mistake. James Walker, who mans the AFC East blog for ESPN.com, says replacing Wes Welker with Danny Amendola is a mistake by the Patriots.

2. A 'crushing blow.'Sports Illustrated's Peter King believes Bill Belichick and the Patriots misjudged Welker's value, and seeing him go to Denver on a reasonably priced contract is a crushing blow to the team.

3. Welker situation 'mishandled' by Pats.Will Brinson, senior NFL blogger for CBS' Eye on Football blog, says that the Patriots mishandled the situation, citing how Welker did everything that was asked of him, however was never rewarded with the deal he wanted.

4. Not about money, but about ego. In the end, this situation doesn't come down to money, it comes down to ego, writes Tom E. Curran of Comcast Sports Net. Curran chronicles previous interactions between Welker's camp and the Patriots, and how the situation came to an ugly end.

5. Welker a 'pawn' to Patriots.Ron Borges of the Boston Herald writes the Welker situation is another example of how there is no love between the Patriots and their players, rather that the team values them as 'commodities'

6. Patriots to blame.Chris Gasper of the Boston Globe believes that the Patriots dropped the ball in this situation, describing Welker as being 'pushed off the contractual cliff' by the team.

9. Multiple message sent.Jarrett Bell of the USA Today dives into the multiple messages sent by the decision, one of which is 'Good riddance, Wes. We'll be fine.'

10. Welker a big winner.Don Banks of Sports Illustrated says that even if Welker is a "system" receiver, he's going to another team suited for his skills (and one that has Peyton Manning). That makes him a big winner of Wednesday.

11. Doesn't pay to play in the slot.Clark Judge of CBSSports.com details the value of being a slot receiver, which doesn't pay nearly as much as a perimeter, downfield threat such as Mike Wallace.

12. Sharp Elway. Fellow CBSSports.com writer Pete Prisco opines that Broncos executive John Elway knows exactly what he's doing as an evaluator, as adding Welker is a big time move for Denver.